Kingdom of Dalun
The Kingdom of Dalun (sometimes referred to as the Dalunian Kingdom) was a kingdom in Ugius which existed from 187 BTW - TW, when it was destroyed by the Corvidus. Records claim that Dalun was the first "major" and "advanced" country in Ugius since the beginning of time, however, no factual information is available to support these claims. It is, however, known that Dalun's predecessor was a large group of independent towns and villages, of which next to nothing is known. Lyrasia was the origin, as well as the capital of the Kingdom from its foundation to its destruction. The Kingdom was known for its fast expansion and famous expeditions. History Early years Before Osold I and his followers founded the Kingdom of Dalun in 187 BTW, hundreds of small villages with relatively primitive people occupied the area which would later become Lyrasia and its surroundings. Little is known about these villages, except that they consisted largely of Ra clans, each led by a chief. Osold I and his expedition came from the North, from an early village city-state called Cillet. Osold I's envoy consisted of about sixty people who left Cillet with him before the village was attacked and the people massacred by a battalion of a rival village's troops, after a long war. Cillet was thrown into chaos pending the attack, and torn between two groups, of which the larger one, including the village's leader, wanted to remain in the village and fight, and the smaller one, Osold I (who was the son of the leader of the village's most respected clan) and his group, who wanted to leave and seek a new beginning. Osold I made contact with the people of an unorganized village and founded the village of Lyrasia on the Westerhaven Plain, three months after he and his people left Cillet. News of the devastating aftermath of the attack reached them more than a year after that. Lyrasia, which was inhabited for many years by the people of Cillet became a prominent location on the Westerhaven Plain and and Indand because of the people's mastery of trade and business. Roughly in the year 187, Lyrasia achieved a population of five thousand, making it the largest and most populous known settlement of its time. Many other neighboring villages and towns were effectively absorbed by the prosperous, expanding Lyrasia. Because of this increase in population and many new resources, Osold I bought entire towns and villages in the Westerhaven Plain, and called the territory Dalun, after the world's most used language, Dalunian. This was seen as the founding of the Kingdom. Soon the people began referring to Osold I as "King," which led traveling merchants from far to believe Dalun was in fact the "Kingdom of Dalun." Less than three years after that, it was made official, Osold I and his advisers also calling Dalun "the Kingdom." Civil war In 140 BTW, when Osold I turned 70 years of age, he became ill with an unknown disease. At that time, he had had two queens and between them four children; Jasyn, Osold II, Tiberius, and Yolanda. It was however never established how the line of secession would be executed. Many across the Kingdom called for elections, others, especially within the King's inner circle, said the firstborn was to become King or Queen. Osold I, however, had by this time become too ill to even speak properly, let alone make decisions. The King's Loyal, Mojol Dyal, was then appointed ruler temporarily while the Council of Yarls decide who the next monarch would be. Tiberius, who at the time was 30, demanded the throne, saying because of his military history as a renown general, he should become King. At the time of the announcement that the Council of Yarls will deliberate, Tiberius was engaged in a campaign against the Empire of Zeelador, in the Northernmost part of Dalun. Immediately after, Tiberius and his entire army left the battlefield and headed South to Lyrasia, to attempt a siege on the city, in the hopes that it will intimidate the Council of Yarls. This was effectively seen as the day the children of Osold I formed their own Houses. Tiberius formed House Tiber. Jasyn, who was equally desperate for the throne, took his army from Erygis to meet his brother half way. Jasyn, after hearing of the formation of House Tiber and his brother "leaving" the family, formed House Stannister. Some say this was to be a show of heroics, so the Council of Yarls will choose Jasyn as ruler. The Council of Yarls, however, attempted to talk Jasyn out of his campaign, to no avail. This sparked the Kingdom into civil war. Many Northern provinces united behind Tiberius and Western provinces behind Jasyn. The East and South remained loyal to the realm and the Council of Yarls, and the dying King Osold I. In 138 BTW, the armies of Jasyn and Tiberius met fifty miles North of Lyrasia. Both armies had during their journeys grown by more than 100% their size. The army of Tiberius was by far larger than that of Jasyn, but Jasyn had the advantage - the battle was to be fought at an angle, with Jasyn having the high ground. The archers of the West were also known as the best in the Kingdom. The battle, as well as the official start of the Civil War began on 25th of Sun's Dawn, 138 BTW, fifty miles to the North of Lyrasia. The Lyrasian City Watch had gathered around the city's walls to defend if Tiberius' army broke through and attacked the city. Jasyn's archers proved useful, and led to his army winning the first waves of the battle, however, quantity proved more powerful than quality, and Tiberius routed his brother's army. However, the amount of losses on Tiberius' side forced him to cancel his attack on Lyrasia, as the untouched City Watch, at that time, would have been easily able to defeat his army. Tiberius moved North and conquered the vulnerable Empire of Zeelador, naming himself King. Jasyn was never seen or heard from again, however, House Stannister still exists today, with its seat in the Bay of Kings. After that faithful battle, for five months, the North and West, under new leaders, fought each other, however, never nearing the capital city of Lyrasia, as the Council of Yarls ordered the City Watch establish forts in a one hundred mile perimeter of the city. The war ended on Turdas, 2nd of Mid Year, 137 BTW, when the Council of Yarls decided that Osold II will take his father place as King. Osold I died in 143. Yolanda, Osold II's sister, remained faithful to the realm throughout the entire war. Osold II and Yolanda formed House Westerling. Exploration years With Osold II now as king, he assembled large armies and sent them South, to the coast of the Bay of Kings, to establish forts. Fort Amol, Blackrun Keep, and Cyrodiil were built in record time, and to this day, remain intact and used as protection against foreign attacks. Fort Steinworth and Fort Winterfell were established at the Throat of Indand, where the Southern expansion stopped. From Castle Solitude as a staging point, the Empire of Zeelador was defeated and annexed in 112 BTW, however, Tiberius was never found. His son, Robert, however, continued to run House Tiber (which still exists today), and was eventually appointed Warden of Zeelador. The expansion of Dalun mainly took place parallel to the coast of the Rhodatras Sea. By 109 BTW, Dalun was considered as unstopable in its expansion Northwards. Not much expansion took place Westwards past the City of Eastbarn, as the Dalunians were afraid that they wouldn't be able to survive the cold conditions of Malorana and Arcias. When King Leopyld was crowned King in 83 BTW, expansion was halted at the Southern face of the Highmere Forest. The King directed most of the Kingdom's treasury toward economic expansion, rather than land expansion, and started expanding many of the Kingdom's cities. This was a generally prosperous and peaceful time for the Kingdom, which consisted of four constituent countries; Zeelador, Dragondell, Westerhaven and Quarthrim. The capital region of Lyrasia was independently governed by the monarch, while the constituent countries were governed by Wardens. The Wipe In 12 BTW, the first female monarch was crowned, the only child of Leopyld, Aelion. Four years later, in 8 BTW, after more than 60 years of expanding the kingdom in terms of economics, technology and infrastructure, Warden Cywin Tiber of Zeelador sent an expedition of traders, explorers and a small group of soldiers Northward, through the Highmere Forest, to see what lay beyond. Little did he know that this expedition was to seal the fate of millions of Dalunians. It took almost three years for the expedition, which consisted of more than 110 people, to reach the Northern edge of the forest. There they discovered, quite oddly, a desert, which they named Egibul. The Dalunians, since the founding of the kingdom, have lived in Indand, which was a cold region. Egibul, on the other hand, was a warm, flat desert, and the first desert they had ever seen in their 180 years of existence. Messengers were sent back to Zeelador to report the findings, and by 2 BTW, Queen Aelion, after decades of territorial stagnation, ordered the Egibul desert to be colonized. She dictated the borders of the kingdom to move to where the desert ends. The town of Anglentul was established at the Northern edge of the Highmere Forest and used as a halfway post for arriving expeditions which were going to explore the desert. All five expeditions which were sent into Egibul were never heard from again. Explorers started to experience hallucinations, seeing themselves get killed by what will today be described as "knights in black armor with eyes of hate." The Corvidus have been found. Anglentul, in early 1 BTW, was destroyed by the Corvidus. Attempts at negotiation were always met with more death and destruction. The Corvidus couldn't be communicated with, as each survivor of a Corviduae encounter says they never saw them visibly communicate, but felt their presence in their minds. Late in 1 BTW, Queen Aelion mobilized most of the Dalunian military, and sent them to where the Corvidus were expected to strike next. The Battle of Estion ensued, with next to no Corvidus being slayed, and more than half of the Dalunian force being massacred. The military immediately routed back to the core areas of the Kingdom, with the Corvidus not far on their tracks. The Wipe's actual date occurred when the Corvidus breached Lyrasia, the Kingdom's capital, and killed all inhabitants. It is rumored that not one Corviduae was defeated during those fateful 5 hours. This marked the end of the Kingdom of Dalun, however, contrary to popular belief, many did in fact survive. House Tiber was saved when its leader fled across the Rhodatras Sea to establish the House permanently on Wintermount Island. The Royal House Westerling was destroyed completely, as it was almost entirely located within Lyrasia. House Stannister, of the South, fled across the Throat of Indand, where they established Stannisport. It is, however true that for the next 104 years, the Corvidus spread across Indand, and what was once the Kingdom of Dalun, killing or enslaving the populous. More than three quarters of the 1,5 billion Dalunians were killed. Slaves were granted small amounts of food and lived in dire conditions until the Empire of Molatrur, based from the island of Casperum, saved what was once Dalun, routing the Corvidus. Government and military The government of Dalun consisted almost exclusively of the monarch and his or her closest advisers. The Council of Yarls consisted of the Wardens of each of the constituent countries, namely Zeelador, Dragondell, Westerhaven and Quarthrim, while the King or Queen ruled over Lyrasia themselves. The Wardens were governors of sorts of their countries and had a certain amount of independence from the monarch. The King or Queen was always expected to be active within the military. The Lyrasian City Watch was the largest single military force within Dalun for the entirety of its existence, as it was not only limited to the walls of the city. The Watch was also the personal military unit of the monarch and had a special subdivision called the Kingsguard (or Queensguard, depending on the current ruler), which were first and foremost responsible for the protection of the monarch. Each constituent country was expected to be able to defend itself, thus Wardens formed their own armies. The monarch ruled from the High Throne in Cile Keep, where they also lived. Rulers *King Osold I (187 BTW - 143 BTW) *King Osold II (143 BTW - 83 BTW) *King Leopyld (83 BTW - 12 BTW) *Queen Aelion (12 BTW - TW) See Also *The Wipe category:Ugius